Amanor Deli and Bakery Amanor Deli and Bakery (September 02, 2005)

THE SPOT:
Amanor Deli and Bakery

THE LOCATION:
856 W. El Camino Real (650) 938-1333 Open 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday

THE DISH:
Armenians Alla and Nick Gharibian opened Amanor, which means "new year" in Armenian, two months ago. They offer sandwiches on house-made bread with a wide choice of meats, including Armenian cured beef and Russian salami, as well as omelet sandwiches for breakfast. They also sell bread, pastries and salads and side dishes from their homeland. The couple plans to start selling soup and hot sandwiches within a few months as well as savory pastries Alla described as "Armenian pizza."

THE DIGS:
A simple storefront off El Camino Real, Amanor doesn't offer much in the way of atmosphere -- little decoration, a view of the street -- but it's quiet enough to read a newspaper or book while you finish a sandwich. Eat-in diners have their choice of a handful of tables.

THE DINERS:
Office workers grab sandwiches to go, or sit and read on their lunch break. Armenian ex-pats drop in for a soul-food fix.

THE SERVICE:
Amanor uses a standard deli system -- featured sandwiches are listed on the wall facing you as you stand at the counter; salads and sides are kept cool in the case below you; cold drinks wait in the fridge on your left. Order and pay, then hang out while they make your sandwich. The wait is a bit long, but the Gharibians are friendly; they check to make sure they get your order right and explain Armenian specialties to curious diners.

I TRIED:
A couple of sandwiches; a mixed appetizer sampler; soujouk and basturma, Armenian cured beef; tea and cookies.

THE MAIN MEAL:
Sandwiches come with four choices of bread: three-seed, whole wheat, Italian rustic and nine-grain -- though not all four are available every day. The Gharibians mold the dough into flat rectangular loaves, the ideal shape for sandwiches, as they hold plenty of meat and veggies without becoming so tall you can't get your mouth around them or you succumb to bread overdose. The three-seed and whole wheat breads were both hearty and chewy and complemented the condiments well. Sandwiches come with the usual lettuce, pickles, onions, tomatoes, mayonnaise and mustard. But instead of mayonnaise you can order garlic sauce, which included the surprising but pleasant addition of lemon peel, or pesto sauce, which was rich with basil flavor. The lettuce is romaine, a better alternative to wimpy iceberg.

THE BEST WAS:
Everything on the salad sampler ($8) was fresh and flavorful. The Greek coleslaw, made of cabbage, cauliflower and carrot, was crunchy and sharp with lemon and olive oil. The tabbouleh was brimming with parsley and onion; the ikra -- grilled eggplant, bell pepper, tomato and onion (similar to ratatouille) -- was wonderfully smoky. The hummus was mild, without the bite of lemon or garlic, but I found it a pleasant foil to the lively salads and rich with garbanzo and tahini. The sampler is served with toast strips made of the sandwich bread.

THE WORST WAS:
In our sandwiches, the turkey and black forest ham ($5) were so bland we could barely taste the difference between them. A better choice would have been the sandwich made of basturma ($7.75), a paprika-infused cured beef that tastes almost caramelized, or soujouk ($7), similar to salami but heady with cumin.

ON THE SIDE:
The deli offers a number of pastries, including cookies, baklava, cakes and roulades from 50 cents to $2.75. We tried the two made in-house: an almond cookie, potent with almond extract and chewy with unblanched ground almonds, and a marmalade-and-walnut-topped shortbread. Both were good, but their storage in the cooler diminished the flavor.

THIRST QUENCHERS:
Cold drinks include sodas, mineral water and Snapple (75 cents to $1.35). The deli also offers coffee and clove-infused tea ($1.25 medium, $1.65 large) from the samovar that sits on the counter. The tea steeps in the pot that sits on top; servers add hot water to your taste from a spigot at the bottom.

BANG FOR THE BUCK:
At $5 to $7.75, the sandwich prices are competitive. The appetizer plate is a healthful, filling meal for a reasonable $8.

-- Mandy Erickson

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